Monday, January 23, 2017

Mark's Open Letter

Sharing in appreciation of Mark's Open Letter, a personal reflection of the election up to yesterday's

Women's March. Gracias mi'jo for your perspective.An open letter to family, friends and all who are interested in listening:

This election season has been one of the longest in US history, lasting over a year and a half. It shook this country to it's core, polarized millions, and created a nation of political analysts. While many strongly supported one candidate, I found myself feeling like millions of others, lost; do I support a narcissistic billionaire demagogue, or the pinnacle of Washington elitism and corruption? Either way, we found ourselves choosing one of two evils to lead our ever more noticeable oligarchy. In early November I drove to the polling station, voted for the candidate that most represented my beliefs (Hillary), and that night, as it became increasingly more evident that Hillary would loose, I was blown away. In spite of the plethora of professional predictions, swarms of anti-Trump media, and the billions invested in Clinton's campaign, Donald Trump was appointed president-elect. It's no secret that the media and most of Washington supported Hillary, including many republicans. But, millions across the nation decided otherwise, democracy in its purest form. And, while there are some white supremacists, neo-nazis, and other bigoted groups who are thanking their lucky stars, the large majority of Trump supporters were not out to actively dismantle equality across the nation, but to take a stand against false politics and puppet politicians controlled by domestic and foreign billionaires and monopolies. At this time I would like to remind you all that Bernie was leading in polls against Trump in almost every state. The people were ready for a candidate that wasn't a politician. But, on that heartbreaking day when our beloved Bernie was knocked out of the race, some his voters lost hope or joined Hillary, while the rest of those seeking political change turned their gaze to Trump.

With that being said, Trump has been a symbol of racism, bigotry, and overall disregard for groups like the LGBTQIA community, minorities, people of color, women, and many others. His track record is shameful, his comments wounding, and his twitter absolutely unbelievable. While he is not a career politician or a Washington crony, he is a whole different type of evil. To say that protests and demonstrations are unwarranted is naive and ignorant. Yesterday I marched with over 20,000 people in Sacramento, and 2.9 million worldwide (the largest protest in history) to send the incoming administration a message that equality in America is here to stay. Once again, democracy in its purest form. It was a beautiful moment in history, and a wonderful beginning to this presidency.

When I discovered that pro-life women and men were discouraged and even banned from coming yesterday, I felt that familiar pang of frustration in my heart. The last paragraphs were written to demonstrate the dissatisfaction of Americans across political spectrums. Whether you're a progressive, liberal feminist, or a conservative, right wing fundamentalist, we have ALL been saying ENOUGH. To exclude pro-lifers from the Women's March is to draw lines between allies. If we are marching for women's right to choose, then we must accept those that choose to not support abortion. Moreover, if we continue to demonize those that voted for Trump, not only will we loose the support of millions of people that have demonstrated their want for a fair political system, but also create enemies out of our fellow Americans. We cannot continue to preach love, equality and inclusion while actively shaming, attacking and excluding those who would help us take this country back from the top 1%. We are all America, and we need them as much as they need us. Do not let those in power divide and conquer this movement before it can succeed in bringing change to our domestic and federal political systems. Let's make a conscious effort to not only stop demonizing right wing voters, but to include, integrate, and organize them into the movement we are all rooting for. Do not forget the real enemy. Let's make Bernie proud. #letsmakeamericaloveagain#hugatrumpsupporter